ILOILO City – Today Ilonggos mark the 120th anniversary of Philippine independence by raising a giant Philippine national flag at the historic public plaza of the municipality of Santa Barbara in Iloilo province.
It was in this plaza on Nov. 17, 1898 where General Martin Delgado first hoisted the Philippine flag outside Luzon – a pioneering revolutionary act in the Visayas and Mindanao five months after General Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence from Spain in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898.
The keynote speaker at the flag-raising ceremony is Prof. Ambeth Ocampo, former chairperson of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
The flag to be raised measures 30 ft. x 60 ft. while the flagpole stands at 120 ft.
According to Santa Barbara Sangguniang Bayan member Dennis Octaviano, chairperson of the Sangguniang Bayan’s committee on tourism, Mayor Dennis Superficial will lead the flag-raising ceremony at 8 a.m.
Also in attendance would be Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. and family members of General Delgado.
Historians tagged theNov. 17, 1898 event at the Santa Barbara public plaza as “The Cry of Santa Barbara.” It also signaled the birth of the Revolutionary Government of the Visayas.
On Nov. 17, 2015 the NHCP included Santa Barbara plaza “among the select places where a giant flag shall be permanently hoisted.”
“May the flag constantly reminds us of our sublime duty to honor the sacrifices our heroes made to unite the nation, to defend the liberty of our motherland from foreign aggression, to uphold justice, equality and the rule of the law…,” said NHCP executive director Ludovico Badoy.
After the 1898 raising of the Philippine flag at the plaza, Santa Barbara became the headquarters of the local revolutionary forces against Spain and from there, General Delgado launched the campaign to liberate Iloilo.
Other places in the country where the Philippine flag is permanently hoisted are the Malacañan Palace, the Senate building, the House of Representatives, the Rizal Monument in Luneta, the Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite, the Barasoain Shrine in Bulacan, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, and the Mausuleo de los Beteranos dela Revolucion in Manila.
The Philippine flag is also permanently hoisted in all international ports of entry in the country and in other places as maybe designated by the NHCP.
After today’s flag-raising ceremony, newly-elected officials of 60 Santa Barbara barangays would be taking their oath of office before Governor Defensor./PN
